I’M SURE THEY’D LOVE TO, BUT…

On By MikeIn Big EastLeave a comment

Andrea Adelson blogged on Friday that the Big East needs to step up its PR game:

At a time when the Big East has lost its automatic qualifying status, it needs somebody to vociferously defend the league, to explain why the league deserves an equal share of the BCS revenue pie as the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC and Pac-12. Someone to beat the Big East drum; to make every attempt possible to let an entire nation know that the ACC is not better than the Big East when it comes to BCS performance.

Nobody in the Big East has even attempted to make this case. Or to provide a breakdown of how the Big East has done vs. the ACC in the BCS. It should be an absolute outrage that the Big East is teetering on the brink of being left out of the big BCS money. Why? Going back to the first BCS game in 1999, the ACC is 2-13 all-time; The Big East is 8-6.

It’s a nice pep talk for the Big East, which is something of a surprise coming from an ESPN entity. However, it’s hard for the Big East to make the kind of PR push that Adelson is calling for when the future of conference expansion (and by extension, Big East membership) is still unclear. While most conferences seem content at the moment, the Big 12 has a new commissioner and may or may not be looking to get back to 12 teams. Louisville and Cincinnati have been rumored as potential Big 12 targets for a while now, but with the recent $200 million/year agreement that the conference has made with ESPN & Fox , it’s hard to imagine either of those schools adding value to the deal.  It’s not surprising, then, that most rumors have involved the Big 12 poaching the ACC instead, with Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech as the latest targets of wild speculation. And make no mistake– right now it really is just wild speculation. The Big 12 hasn’t made any public indication that it’s looking to expand. At this point the only thing revealed as a result of these rumors is just how dysfunctional the leadership is at Florida State. Even if it’s just speculation at this point, it’s still reason to be nervous; if the ACC is raided, they are sure to respond by poaching the Big East yet again. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that. If TV is the biggest driver in conference realignment, it doesn’t make much sense for ESPN to weaken a conference it owns the rights to while strengthening a conference that it shares with Fox.

If it’s just left alone for once, the new Big East could still put together a very lucrative television deal. It’s just hard to move into the future when the dark cloud of uncertainty is hanging over your head. Pray that the Big 12 is content with its already huge TV deal so that we can move into our own negotiations with what should be a very good football & basketball package.

MUSICAL COMMISSIONERS

On By MikeIn Big EastLeave a comment

I’m sure that by now you all have heard that John Marinatto has resigned as the Big East’s commissioner. My news and Twitter feeds have been overflowing all week with stories and comments about how messed up the Big East is, and maybe it’s true for all I know. I don’t see how this (presumably) forced resignation is evidence of that, though. If the league presidents want to move in a different direction, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re moving in opposite directions.

Anyway, Marinatto seems to be taking a lot of the blame for the loss of Pitt, Syracuse, and West Virginia. I’m not sure what exactly anyone expected him to do to stop it. Some argue that the Big East should’ve taken ESPN’s offer for their TV rights, which would have brought stability to the league. But it was Marinatto coaxed that offer from ESPN in the first place. He didn’t turn it down; the university presidents did, including Pitt’s. Some argue that if he was more aggressive in expansion, the league might have stayed together. But he was aggressive in expansion. TCU was on board, and he went after the service academies and UCF, with the latter being shot down by USF’s president. Syracuse and Pitt left anyway. It’s not like the conference was going to bring in any bigger names than that without the Big 12 falling apart. The conference took its lumps, and now it’s moving on.

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LADIES DOIN’ WORK

On By MikeIn navy sports3 Comments

The women’s lacrosse team beating Oregon on Saturday to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season is one more accolade in what has been a banner year for women’s sports at USNA. The team is 18-2 and went undefeated in conference play, winning their third Patriot League title in only their fifth varsity season. The other upstart women’s team, tennis, finished 20-3 and advanced to the conference finals in their third varsity season. The women’s track team just won the Patriot League championship on Saturday, while the crew team placed second the week before. The basketball team advanced to the NCAA tournament after winning their second straight Patriot League tournament. The soccer team completed another winning season, finishing 13-6-3 and advancing to the Patriot League tournament final. The swimming & diving team set a meet record in winning the Patriot League before moving on to their first ECAC championship. The cross country team won the Patriot League championship and placed 7th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship, their highest finish since 2000. Our cup runneth over.

That’s a good thing, not just as a fan, but because it’s important to the school that Navy’s women’s programs have success. In order to attract high-achieving women to USNA, it’s vital to show that they can excel in an environment that has traditionally been more appealing to men. Individual women are themselves the best recruiting tool as they go out into the fleet and have successful careers, but athletics are another highly visible way to demonstrate overall kick-assness. Navy’s ladies are doing just that, putting together what might be the most successful year for women’s athletics in service academy history.

I’m not going to look it up. Let’s just accept it as fact and brag about it.

Where are they now: Commander Frank Schenk, USN

On By saltysam98In army-navy, navy football9 Comments

I watched my first ever Army-Navy game in 1989. My cousin was a youngster at USNA so I thought I’d watch the game. Having grown up next to West Point, I knew the Army-Navy game was a big deal and I also knew that Army was pretty good. The year prior, Army played Alabama in the Sun Bowl where Alabama edged the Cadets 29-28. Army was led by Mike Mayweather, a stellar running back and one of the best Service Academy running backs in the last 50 years. Navy, on the other hand, hadn’t posted a winning season since 1982 and had lost to Army three times in a row. Army entered the game 6-4 and Navy 2-8, so I wasn’t expecting much of a game from the Mids.

Boy, was I wrong. Navy got out to a quick lead 9-0 lead and the game went back and forth for four quarters. With Navy trailing 17-16 lat in the 4th quarter, Alton Grizzard drove the Mids down the field. With 1 minute to go and facing a 4th and 2 on the Army 35, Grizzard barreled his way to a first down on a QB keeper. Grizzard then drove Navy to the Army 15 and stopped the clock with a mere 15 seconds to play. Navy Head Coach Elliot Uzelac called Frank Schenk from the sideline: “This is what you and I talked about. This is it! Piece of cake!” Army Coach Jim Young then called time out in an attempt to ice Schenk. As Schenk trotted back to the sideline, Uzelac grabbed him and barked, “give me a 7 Iron and you and I are dancing and drinking champagne tonight.” A minute later Frank Schenk split the uprights and put Navy on top for good 19-17. It was a huge win for Navy and a dream come true for Midn 2/c Schenk.

I had the opportunity to speak with now Captain (sel) Frank Schenk, USN this weekend. He’s had quite a career since graduating from USNA with the Class of 1991.

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SOME CHATTER

On By MikeIn conference talk, football, navy sports2 Comments

A few things to discuss:

— The conference expansion gong show continues. Moving on from its failed merger with the Mountain West, Conference USA is adding five teams: North Texas, FIU, Louisiana Tech, UTSA, and UNC-Charlotte. Old Dominion also reportedly has an invite, but is mulling things over. The Sun Belt added Texas State and Georgia State to make up for its losses. In a move that was long anticipated, San Jose State and Utah State made their way to the Mountain West.

The departure of Louisiana Tech, UTSA, Texas State, SJSU, and Utah State on top of those that have already left means that the WAC is pretty much dead as a football conference. Only Idaho and New Mexico State remain, and the future looks pretty bleak for them as those two might be the first casualties of the haves-have nots divide. Even if they intend to find a way to survive in I-A, how on earth will these guys be able to recruit? Who’s going to want to sign on for four years when they can’t be sure that there will even be a program in four years? Expect a lot of JUCO transfers for the Aggies and Vandals in the near future.

Paul Meyerberg sums it up:

As someone who grew up watching Hawaii and epic BYU-San Diego State shootouts, seeing the WAC go is a sad thing, even if those days were already long gone. There was a lot of innovation in that league, from Air Coryell, to the spread option, to the 3-3-5 defense. Even the modern WAC was fun to watch, with Pat Hill’s take-on-all-comers Fresno State teams, Boise State’s rise to the national spotlight, and Hawaii’s run & shoot for those of us who wanted our college football Saturdays to stretch into Sunday morning. Those programs are still around, but having them all in one crazy package made for a good time. Of course, the Mountain West is basically the nuWAC now, so maybe some sense of the spirit of the WAC will live on for a little while longer, just with a stupider logo.

For those of us who have been stationed in Norfolk or have been long-time residents… ODU MIGHT BE PLAYING FOOTBALL IN C-USA. How bonkers is that?

— Speaking of the Mountain West, they released their hodgepodge national television schedule yesterday. Of note is that Navy will be playing Air Force on CBS again (cool), but at 9:30 a.m. local time (lollerskates). Crazy early start times and midweek games were a driving factor for the MWC in leaving ESPN and starting their own network, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers at this point. CBS Sports Network owns the conference’s rights, but “will sub-license games to NBC Sports Network and ESPN” according to the release. Judging by television appearances, the Mountain West is made up of Boise State and the nine dwarves, with the Broncos getting 10 of their games picked up under this arrangement. The announcement includes games like Boise State at Michigan State and Air Force at Army that aren’t part of the Mountain West package, but rather the respective home teams’ TV deal. Not on the list is Air Force’s game at Michigan on Sept. 8, which will definitely be televised. It might end up on ESPN, although looking at the Big Ten schedule that week there’s a chance it’ll be on the Big Ten Network instead. Teams will be forced to look for local TV coverage for the rest of the conference’s games.

— Don’t forget the women’s lax game vs. Oregon on Saturday, which will be streamed live online for free.

Weekend of Champions

On By AndyIn navy sports, patriot league4 Comments

Watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight (Go Caps!), I remembered that Navy is home to some new Patriot League Championships thanks to an excellent showing this past weekend. A few quick words on each:

Women’s Lacrosse – Six years ago, Navy did not have a Varsity Women’s Lacrosse team. Now Navy is home to a three-peat Patriot League champion. And as if winning three titles in a row isn’t impressive enough, the Mids went undefeated in league play this year. With a season record of 17-2 (a season opening loss at High Point and late March loss the only blemishes on the schedule), Navy now heads to Oregon for a play-in game to the NCAA tournament.

Golf – Winning the title for the first time since 2008, Navy now has 6 of the last 14 titles. And there could be no sweeter way to win it than edging out a 3 stroke victory over Army. With the win, Navy earns an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals in mid-May.

Men’s Tennis – Two championship titles at the expense of Army? In my Navy sports? It’s more likely than you think. The Navy men took down Army 4-1 in Annapolis to claim the league crown. Navy held serve on it’s #1 seed through the tourney and will now move on to the NCAA tourney, where Florida (12th seed out of 64) awaits. This is Navy’s 5th Men’s Tennis title in the last 6 years.

Not bad for a weekend, huh?

THE DRAFT POST

On By MikeIn navy football1 Comment

Here’s the list of past Navy opponents taken in this year’s NFL draft:

Round 1

Stephon Gilmore – CB – South Carolina
Michael Floyd – WR – Notre Dame
Melvin Ingram – DE – South Carolina
Harrison Smith – S – Notre Dame

Round 2

Alshon Jeffrey – WR – South Carolina
Mike Adams – T – Ohio State*

Round 3

Ronnie Hillman – RB – San Diego State
DeVier Posey – WR – Ohio State
Josh LeRibeus – G – SMU
Demario Davis – LB – Arkansas State
Michael Egnew – TE – Missouri
Mohamed Sanu – WR – Rutgers
Bernard Pierce – RB – Temple
Lamar Holmes – T – Southern Miss

Round 4

Chris Givens – WR – Wake Forest
Gino Gradkowski – G – Delaware
Evan Rodriguez – TE – Temple
Kyle Wilber – LB – Wake Forest
Joe Looney – G – Wake Forest
Miles Burris – LB – San Diego State

Round 5

Tahir Whitehead – LB – Temple
Robert Blanton – CB – Notre Dame
Taylor Thompson – TE – SMU**
Rokevious Watkins – T – South Carolina
Jonathan Massaquoi – DE – Troy
Darius Fleming – LB – Notre Dame

Round 6

Ryan Lindley – QB – San Diego State
Josh Bush – S – Wake Forest
Dan Herron – RB – Ohio State
Nate Ebner – DB – Ohio State

Round 7

Aaron Brown – LB – Hawaii*
Richard Crawford – DB – SMU
Jerome Long – DT – San Diego State
Antonio Allen – S – South Carolina
Kelvin Beachum – T – SMU
Travian Robertson – DT – South Carolina
Chandler Harnish – QB – Northern Illinois

*Did not appear against Navy in 2009 game

**Drafted as a TE but played defensive end in college

CHANGING COURSE, PART 6: FAQ, CONTINUED

On By MikeIn Big East, conference talk, navy football32 Comments

There’s still a lot of ground left to cover, so let’s get to it.

How will Big East membership change NAAA’s financial picture?

Both VADM Miller and Chet Gladchuk have been very clear about their concern for college football’s future and why they feel that Navy needs to join the Big East. There are other implications of Big East membership that haven’t really been addressed, though, with the most notable being how it affects NAAA’s financial outlook. There are a couple of reasons for this, I think. One, until the new TV contract is actually signed, there aren’t any details to talk about. Two, any time you talk about money, it brings out the cynics who believe that athletic departments can instead be funded by platitudes and pep talks. For PR’s sake it probably makes more sense to focus on other things.

In a way, the financial impact of joining the Big East has been addressed, just in different terms. When we talk about remaining in the top tier, we’re really just talking about money. The divide in college football that many fear is around the corner will be based on finances, separating big-money athletic departments from those with smaller budgets for competitive and legislative purposes. If remaining in the top tier of college football is the goal, then NAAA’s financial health must be addressed.

Continue reading “CHANGING COURSE, PART 6: FAQ, CONTINUED” →

CHANGING COURSE, PART 5: TELEVISION AND THE TOP TIER

On By MikeIn Big East, conference talk, navy football28 Comments

I know I said that I was going to continue the FAQ from part 4, but my answers to some of these questions are so long that it makes more sense for me to make some of them into separate posts. Like this one.

You keep talking about a “top tier.” Let’s say that this haves/have-nots divide does happen in some way. Will the Big East will even be in this top tier?

It’s a fair question. Before it looked like the BCS would do away with AQ status for its conference champions, there was plenty of speculation as to whether the Big East would retain that distinction either way. The conference has struggled to produce high-ranking teams at times, and the 2010 UConn team that went to the Fiesta Bowl wasn’t even ranked in the BCS top 25  (their average position among the six computer rankings used in the BCS formula was 52). Would such a lackluster performance be rewarded with a continued automatic berth in a BCS bowl game?

Now that auto-bids are probably on the way out, we can only speculate how things would have been. Chances are, though, that the Big East would still have been part of the club. Remember, what happens on the field is not the point of the BCS. Television is. And when it comes to TV, the one thing the Big East always had going for it was that it was the conference with the greatest reach into the Northeast. While it isn’t exactly the most football-crazy part of the country, it is the most populated. Even if those TV sets aren’t necessarily tuned in to Big East football every Saturday, it’s still too many people to be ignored. If the BCS bowls have 10 slots to fill, one of them would certainly be reserved for the champion of the Northeast’s conference.

That’s where things get a little hairy for the Big East going forward. (WARNING: TIN FOIL HAT TIME)

Continue reading “CHANGING COURSE, PART 5: TELEVISION AND THE TOP TIER” →